


Convalescence

by indefensibleselfindulgence



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Canon Typical Wierdness, F/M, Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, Other, POV Multiple, Pining, all interactions can be viewed as platonic or romantic, hospital fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-18 21:09:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16126784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indefensibleselfindulgence/pseuds/indefensibleselfindulgence
Summary: Jon gets a few visitors.





	Convalescence

**Author's Note:**

> man jon is so popular 
> 
> not beta'd

 

Martin settles his backpack down on the chair next to him and takes a deep breath.  
  
He never really liked hospitals. When he was younger, and his mother still saw doctors regularly, he had spent an unpleasant amount of time in waiting rooms. The smell always bothered him, and the food was always kind of bad.  
  
He didn't mind waking up early and catching the train over to the hospital Jon was staying though.  
  
Staying in? That doesn't seem right, but it's not like he has anything else to call it. He's technically dead right now. At least, that's what a very stressed sounding nurse told him over the phone after he lied about who he was.  
  
The nurse that lets him in is sweet. She talks about how awful the weather has been; lately, there were a lot of lightning storms in the area which was very uncharacteristic of early fall weather and Martin told her about how warm it still was in London. She joked about taking a vacation, and he stumbled through a list of places she could visit.  
  
They got to Jon's room, and Martin smiles at her, and she leaves him alone.  
  
He brought a few books, none he's sure Jon would like, but it's better than sitting here and running out of things to have a one-sided conversation about.  
  
Jon looks about as comfortable as he probably can. Elias put him in a private hospital, and it seems pretty nice compared to the ones his mother went to. The nurses seem to actually care.  
  
“Elias is in jail. I don't think anyone told you yet- the- the plan worked.” More or less. “He, uh, he got punched. On the way out. It's on tape so... so when you come back, we can laugh about it together.”  
  
The chair he's sitting in is pretty far away, and Martin makes the choice to move it to Jon's side. He leaves the bag in the corner for now.  
  
“Peter Lucas is our new boss. He's- not as bad as Elias I think. He easier to talk to? If that makes sense. He jokes around a lot.” Martin leans forward and takes Jon's hand in his lightly.  
  
“Tim's body is going to be cremated soon. That's probably what he wanted considering...” Martin trails off. Jon's aware. More aware then he is.  
  
“I-I met Georgie- she dropped by the institute and yelled at a few people before Mr. Lucas gave her my number. I told her where you were staying.” He shakes his head again because that really isn't the right word. “She said she'd swing by tomorrow. I don't know if I should come and visit too- if that would be awkward. But you know me. I'm always awkward.” He's glad Jon isn't awake to hear him right now.  
  
“You have really nice nurses.” He tells him. “You're in good hands- and the hospital is pretty nice. I kind of- lied. A little bit. I panicked, over the phone. With the staff. They asked me who I was and I thought they wouldn't let me in if we weren't related or together and I kind of just- Well.” He lets Jon's hand go and slumps into the back of his chair.  
  
“Anyway if you wake up and they ask you about me I uh-” He can't bring himself to repeat it now. His face feels like it's been set on fire. “They actually don't care if we're just friends. Or even coworkers. I just sort of- I mean it was too late to-” Martin clears his throat and looks away from Jon- at anything else really.  
  
“I brought some books- I don't even know if you like to read that much or, or, or what type of stuff you like to read  but I got five of them with me, and they're all pretty different so I figured we could start and if you really hate them maybe you'll wake up and tell me off like you always do.”  
  
“I wouldn't mind. I mean, I never do- cause usually you have a good reason too. But I really wouldn't mind if you woke up from this just to tell me off. Mr. Lucas gave us a while off actually, so we could go somewhere- just- get your mind off of things. Off of the work. And the-” He lowers his voice just in case. “All of the powers.”  
  
He feels silly even suggesting it but all of it just sort of comes out against his best intentions.  
  
“I'd go where ever with you. We could probably even get out of the country for a while- take an actual break from all of it. Maybe go somewhere like Sweden or France. Nice places. See the sights.” He laughs a little. “Or we can just sit home and- I don't know. Relax. I don't think I've ever seen you relax.”  
  
He gets up from the chair and picks his books up from the corner.  
  
“I'm going to stop boring you now. With my- Yeah.” He smiles at Jon. Nothing on his face has changed- just a few little cuts here and there but nothing drastic. No third eyelid.    
  
He wasn't actually expecting one but to hear the tail end of Elias's monologue- better that there's nothing there anyway.  
  
“So.. do you want a romance or a comedy?”

  
…

  
There's a chair already by the bed when Georgie comes by the next day.  
  
Ever since her incident in Uni, she's made it a point to stay as far away from hospitals as she could. Not cause she was scared- obviously- but why tempt fate. She doesn't know if a swanky private hospital like this has a morgue built in but still.  
  
She called ahead and asked if she could bring The Admiral, and the nurse she talked to was very sympathetic. As long as no one saw, he said, and if she'd be quick. He let her in through the back door the next day, and the entire experience made her feel a bit silly, but she didn't mind it.  
  
She sets the pet carrier down by her feet and sits down, letting The Admiral out of his cage. He jumps into her lap, and she lifts him onto Jon's chest and watches her cat settle.  
  
“Hi, Jon.”  
  
She didn't think ahead about what she would say.  
  
“Your new boss is a creep.” She leans back. “But not as much as your last one. Guess you're moving up in the world.” She takes a moment and sighs deeply.  
  
“Your coworker said you saved the world. Good on you. Really- I'm proud. Who would have thought that you'd ever manage something so big.” She smiles and leans forward again to pet The Admiral.  
  
“You could have told me you were going to maybe die, you know. It's bad enough that a building fell on you and I didn't find out about it until a week later from your skeevy boss.” She nudges his thigh with her foot before settling again.  
  
“You're kind of a dick, Jon. Making me go all the way to your creepy Institute. It's such a dive, how can you work there every day? Martin was nice, though. He really likes you-you probably know that already. He said he was going to visit yesterday- did he?” There's a stack of books on the small round table in the corner. “Probably.”  
  
She doesn't say anything for a while, deciding instead to look around the hospital room. The books aren't anything to write home about, so Jon probably hates them. The bed seems comfortable enough. When she doesn't talk, it's very quiet- no heart monitor going off like she expected.  
  
Martin tried to explain that Jon was in a coma but-  
  
“I missed you. The Admiral missed you too. So when you wake up, you have to come visit us. Okay?”  
  
In the quiet of the room, The Admiral's purring was loud enough to hear.  
  
“You already saved the world, so no one's going to come and find us or whatever it is that you were so worried about- besides I can obviously handle myself. I'll protect you this time. And we can be weird human monsters together, yeah?”  
  
She smiles.  
  
“I'm holding you to it. I'm taking your silence as a yes.” She gives his hand a squeeze. “I can't stay long cause someone is probably going to come and yell at me, but I'll be by next week okay? You don't mind me bouncing scripts off of you right? Of course, you don't. Otherwise, you'd say something, right?”

  
…

  
A door that didn't exist opens and something that looks like a human woman steps out.  
  
It didn't spend a lot of time in hospitals, not really it's target demographic, but it supposes, just this once,  that it could make an exception.  
  
The body of the Archivist lays flat on the bed, and the room is silent. Neither of them need to breathe, and there is no sound aside from the drip of some medical device by the Archivist's side. It takes a seat next to him on the bed slowly, careful with its hands.  
  
“Hello, Archivist.” Its voice is a surprise to its self. It hasn't been talking as much in this body. It hasn't been doing much of anything in this body.  
  
“You've stopped the Unknowing. I'm... proud of you. I think that's the word for it, yes.”  
  
It doesn't know what it's doing here- the Archivist made it perfectly clear that he wasn't interested in continuing a cordial relationship. But still- despite itself, seeing him, even like this, is calming. There is the slightest undercurrent of distress, one that bleeds into the rest of its seemingly consistent discomfort with its new body.  
  
“To think you've come so far- but then you are a very good Archivist.” It has memories from another body of meeting this Archivist for the first time. Its fingers sink into the Archivist's soft skin. "The Stranger's mark is on you now, along with the rest of us. Are you trying to collect the whole set,  Archivist?"  
  
“I haven't felt better.” It tells him. “Haven't felt like myself yet. Knowing you are in the state that you are in did not help. So I thought I would come visit you. I had hoped you would wake in my presence- perhaps become upset again- that would be familiar to me. You are upset quite often, aren't you, Archivist?”  
  
The door creaks behind it and the thing that calls itself Helen Richardson turns to look at it.  
  
“I tried letting one of my Wanders go. Like with this body.” Maybe it would shock him out of his sleep. It doesn't know what it's hoping for. “It did not help either.”  
  
“I am in part like this because of you, Archivist. I hope you will take responsibility soon.” It stands up and places one of its fingers on the Archivist's hand. It slips through the skin easily, and when it's pulled back, there is no blood on the sheets.  
  
The Archivist is walking his nightmares.  
  
“Maybe I will visit you again, Archivist. If only so you could see I am taking care of your... friend's... body. You will thank me for it then, yes?”  
  
It is silent in the room, and neither of the monsters in it breathe.  

  
…

  
The jail cell is cold.  
  
Elias expected as much.  
  
When the lights go out for the night, Elias lays down flat on his bunk and watches his Archivist sleep. The dreams are the same, and nothing changes. Well, that's not entirely true.  
  
There are books on the table, cat hair on Jon's hospital gown, and a hole in his wrist.  
  
Elias can't help but frown knowing that they get to see his Archivist in person and he is left to rot and wait.  
  
The only time he watches hospitals is when someone essential is in them, and there has never been anyone more essential Jon.  
  
If he could, he would be there too.  
  
Pet Jon's hair, smooth the sheets down, read statements to him. Anything to keep him comfortable in his unending nightmare.  
  
But instead, he's in a jail cell, miles away from Jon's hospital room, left with nothing to do but watch.  
  
“We'll see each other again soon, you know that don't you? Of course you do. My brilliant Archivist. Rest well. You need the break.” Someone shushes him down the hall and Elias smiles to himself in the darkness.  
  
He's keeping Jon company, he supposes.  
  
In his own way.  


 

**Author's Note:**

> comments always encouraged and very very very appreciated
> 
> come [talk to me](http://iamalivenow.tumblr.com/)


End file.
